New-Book-Honors-RVCs-Legacy-and-Impact.php

New Book Honors RVC’s Legacy and Impact

• faculty
• 10/27/2025

What began as a community dream in 1964 now fills the pages of a new book brought to life by Rock Valley College history professor Dr. Daniel Blumlo. Colleagues, alumni, students, and community members gathered in the Stenstrom Student Center Atrium on Friday, October 10, to recognize Blumlo’s work in preserving the college's story from its humble beginnings to the present day.

The date of the book launch holds special significance in RVC history. On October 10, 1964, Winnebago and Boone Counties voters passed the referendum that officially established Rock Valley College. Less than a year later, in September 1965, the College welcomed its first cohort of students, marking the beginning of what would become a nationally respected institution of accessible, affordable education.

Blumlo’s newly released book, published through Arcadia Publishing, traces RVC’s journey from its early days meeting in different locations around the city to constructing the beautiful wooded campus on what was once Spring Brook Farms on North Mulford Road. Since its inception, RVC has continued to enhance services through expansion, innovation, and community partnership.

Since September 1965, Rock Valley College has been a cornerstone of education and community for northern Illinois.

During the 1970s, the college expanded educational, employment, and athletic opportunities for women, and in the 1980s, it confronted the region’s Rust Belt decline through investments in advanced technical and health care fields. During this period, Rock Valley College strengthened ties with Northern Illinois University and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. Its strong liberal arts and science programs have helped thousands of students move on to four-year institutions. More than 33,000 alumni now carry the college’s legacy into the community.

Blumlo, who has taught history at RVC since 2010, describes writing the book as both a scholarly challenge and a labor of love.

“I started with the photos in the College archives,” Blumlo said. “From there, I tried to connect the dots, to take those images and form a more complete story of how the College came to be what it is today.”

The project began in the Rock Valley College Archives, where thousands of photographs provided visual evidence of campus life, groundbreaking ceremonies, student milestones, and community events. Many photos included handwritten captions, but Blumlo dug deeper, cross-referencing them with early yearbooks, editions of the student newspaper The Valley Forge, and writings left behind by former faculty, librarians, and administrators.

His research also drew upon a 25-year-old oral history project in which former RVC librarians such as Steve Thompson interviewed many of the figures involved in the college’s formative years. Beyond the archives, Blumlo examined college publications, including promotional pamphlets, event programs, athletic guides, faculty lectures, press releases, board reports, and local newspapers, including the Rockford Register Republic, Morning Star, and Rockford Register Star. “Even obituaries sometimes offered invaluable context,” Blumlo noted. “They helped bring forgotten details and personalities back into focus.”

Blumlo hopes his book not only preserves this legacy but also invites others to explore it.

I hope this work honors the college’s past, and that it sparks curiosity among readers, whether employees, alumni, or current students, to dig deeper and keep exploring.

Daniel Blumlo, Ph.D.

Daniel Blumlo, Ph.D., joined Rock Valley College in 2010 and teaches courses in U.S. and world history. His book, The History of Rock Valley College, is now available through Arcadia Publishing.